Times Of Swaziland: PLE FIGHTS BACK IN CONTEMPT CASE

PLE FIGHTS BACK IN CONTEMPT CASE
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Machawe Fakudze on 01/11/2024 12:01:00


MBABANE – The Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) trio of the chairman, acting
chief executive officer (CEO) and chief operations officer (COO) are safe from
jail time.
Their representative, MLK Attorneys, filed an application to stop Judge Mumcy
Dlamini from proceeding with the contempt of court matter. The parties were back
in court before Judge Mbutfo Mamba, where the PLE filed the application against
the continuation of the contempt of court case, which was filed by Manzini
Wanderers, through their representative SM Jele Attorneys.
The ‘Weslians’ ran to court a week ago, seeking that the PLE Chairman, CEO
and COO, be charged with contempt of court after they failed to execute the
September 27, 2024 ruling, which was passed by Judge Dlamini. Judge Dlamini
ordered that the matter be reviewed and set aside by the football authorities.
She further concluded that Moses was not eligible to play the match. The
‘Weslians’, after the judgment, rushed to court as the local football bodies
failed to execute the order and they were then forced to file a Contempt of
Court Order application.
Contempt
In yesterday’s hearing of the case, the PLE applied that Judge Dlamini should
stop hearing the contempt case as there are pending cases to be heard at the
Supreme Court. Reacting to the PLE request, Wanderers through their
representative, SM Jele Attorneys, opposed the stopping of Dlamini from
continuing with the order. The letter, written by the PLE representative,
confirmed that they had since launched an application seeking an urgent
enrolment of the appeal, they also seek an order for a stay of contempt
proceedings, which are before Her Ladyship Dlamini.
“Further, the reason we implore His Lordship to kindly accommodate our request
with urgency is mainly because, there is an order sought as well for staying the
contempt proceedings, before Her Ladyship Dlamini,” stated the papers. The
papers also state that Judge Dlamini is adamant about proceeding with the
contempt issue, despite that the order relied upon is impugned in the appeal at
the Supreme Court. “Our view is that the rate at which Her Ladyship is going
about ignoring a sound principle of the common law that on appeal stays the
operation of the order impugned, we are of the view that it is only an order for
stay from the Supreme Court that can deter hearing of the contempt
proceedings,” added the letter.
Meanwhile, His Lordship Mamba submitted that the matter be postponed to November
5, 2024, at 2pm, for his judgment on the PLE prayers. The proceedings of the
contempt case were stayed.